Talking Mental Health...with selectability

This time on Talking Mental Health...with selectability we catch up with Grant Westthorp, Well Man Coordinator from selectability Cairns Mental Health Hub to chat about the Well Man app and the new Men's Life Promotion Survival Handbook.

This podcast celebrates five years as selectability – an organisation formed in March 2017 when Supported Options in Lifestyle Access Services (better known as SOLAS) and Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland (or MIFNQ) merged. Across five short podcasts we’ll hear from five people close to the organisation and learn how, from humble beginnings and a combined 52 years of service delivery, selectability has grown to become the strong and innovative industry leader it is today.

This podcast celebrates five years as selectability – an organisation formed in March 2017 when Supported Options in Lifestyle Access Services (better known as SOLAS) and Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland (or MIFNQ) merged. Across five short podcasts we’ll hear from five people close to the organisation and learn how, from humble beginnings and a combined 52 years of service delivery, selectability has grown to become the strong and innovative industry leader it is today.

This podcast celebrates five years as selectability – an organisation formed in March 2017 when Supported Options in Lifestyle Access Services (better known as SOLAS) and Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland (or MIFNQ) merged. Across five short podcasts we’ll hear from five people close to the organisation and learn how, from humble beginnings and a combined 52 years of service delivery, selectability has grown to become the strong and innovative industry leader it is today.

This podcast celebrates five years as selectability – an organisation formed in March 2017 when Supported Options in Lifestyle Access Services (better known as SOLAS) and Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland (or MIFNQ) merged. Across five short podcasts we’ll hear from five people close to the organisation and learn how, from humble beginnings and a combined 52 years of service delivery, selectability has grown to become the strong and innovative industry leader it is today.

This podcast celebrates five years as selectability – an organisation formed in March 2017 when Supported Options in Lifestyle Access Services (better known as SOLAS) and Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland (or MIFNQ) merged. Across five short podcasts we’ll hear from five people close to the organisation and learn how, from humble beginnings and a combined 52 years of service delivery, selectability has grown to become the strong and innovative industry leader it is today.

In this edition of Talking Mental Health … with selectability we shift our focus to carers to recognise the vital contribution they make. You’ll hear first-hand experiences of two carers and selectability’s Carer Coordinator, who helps connect carers to the support they need to continue in their roles.

This time on Talking Mental Health we catch up with the team from the Whitsunday, Isaac and Mackay Suicide Prevention Community Action Planning Group to chat about the Real Mates Talk campaign that aims to reduce male suicide rates across the region. Around three-quarters of the people who die by suicide in the Whitsunday, Isaac and Mackay region are men. These men are aged from teenagers to the elderly – they are our brothers, sons, husbands, workmates, friends and neighbours.

Self-care is an ongoing commitment to look after yourself through helpful behaviours that protect your health during periods of stress. In this edition, selectability counsellor, Suz Bocking, discusses the importance of self-care and how to put it into practice ... have a pen and paper ready as she'll take you through a short activity!

selectability has joined forces with local cycling crew, Team Jefferson, to raise funds and awareness for mental health and together they're taking their message Coast 2 Coast in an effort to break a cycling record. The partnership draws on selectability's commitment to improving the mental wellbeing of regional Queenslanders through its Bike Shed and Team Jefferson's goal of riding from Cottesloe Beach, Perth to the steps of the Sydney Opera House to raise awareness for mental health while beating the current record. For more information and to donate visit https://www.selectability.com.au/what-s-on/team-jefferson/

Queensland's transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, or NDIS, started more than five years ago with its January 2016 launch in Townsville. Considered the biggest health reform since Medicare, the NDIS moves away from the previous system of providing block funding to agencies and community organisations, to give funding directly to people with a disability. For many Queenslanders, it would be the first time receiving the disability support they needed to live the life of their choice. In this podcast you will learn about Queensland's transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and hear from selectability's Chief Operating Officer Aaron Farrell, consumer Jordan and support coordinator Kate Ramskill.

selectability’s Clubhouses and Mental Health Hubs both provide safe and welcoming spaces for individuals to build confidence, learn new skills and make social connections to support their recovery to mental wellbeing. In this podcast you will learn how Clubhouses and Mental Health Hubs operate, what each offers and how they are both great recovery options for people seeking support.

Based on the concept of the Men’s Shed, selectability’s Bike Shed aims to help communities in regional Queensland overcome loneliness and isolation and encourage people to get active by providing a safe and welcoming place for people to connect, work together on projects or get out and active on a bike ride or just enjoy a coffee and chat.